Air operated device



Nov. 1940. R. H. GREEGOR ET AL AIR OPERATED DEVI CE Filed June 14, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet l J .8 M 9 5 m n n5 r w im M MWA MM M kw.

4 Sheets-Sheet 2 R. H. GREEGOR ET AL.

AIR OPERATED DEVICE Filed June 14, 1938 Nov. 12, 1940.

IIIIIIIIIII W J m W M m WWW j w U, "W 3 1 5 i )5 5 1 w 2 a v 1 u A a an 0, w In S, ll 10 a E r/Z5 Il'll/l NOV. 1940- R. H. GREEGOR ET AL.

AIR OPERATED DEVICE Filed June 14, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 I r/llllil/ll llulllllacuaull "vflvalilll hive/wars IEALP/i H. 6:45:60: Mum/v; A. 1 /965 Ana/ways Patented Nov. 12, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AIR OPERATED DEVICE Ohio Application June 14, 1938, Serial No. 213,719

1 Claim.

This invention relates to doors and particularly to apparatus for operating a door to pre-.

vent its closure in the event that the door encounters an obstruction, and, under some circumstances, to return the door after it has been stopped by meeting its obstruction.

It is an object of this invention to provide means associated with the door itself which is raised and lowered by an electric motor to open the circuit to stop the motor; and optionally to bring about a reversal of the motor to change the direction of the door after it has once been stopped upon engaging an obstruction.

It is a further object to provide means for protecting the electric cable connected to the pneumatic switch which is mounted upon the door.

It is an object, in this connection, to provide means for automatically maintaining the cable taut and for automatically storing or paying it 20 out as the door rises and falls.

It is an object of this invention to provide means for guiding the door in association with the foregoing inventive ideas, whether the door is made of wood or metal.

25 It is a further object of this invention to provide a collapsible air chamber on the bottom edge of the door, pneumatically connected to an electric switch for controlling the stopping or reversing of the electric motor raising and lowering the door; and to associate with this combination a reel for reeling the electric cable connected to the electric switch on the door.

It is a further object to guide this cable by the door and by the reel within a protected enclosure 35 that also acts as a door guide.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an inside elevation of the door and associated. mechanism showing the door stopped by an engagement with an obstruction;

40 Figure 2 is a section on the line 22 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 5, diagrammatically illustrating the arrangement and construction of the pneumatic valve;

45 Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows, showing the door partially open;

Figure 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows,

60 illustrating the nature of the collapsible pneumatic chamber, its connection to the electric switch mechanism and its method of attachment to the bottom of the door when employing wooden panels; 7

65 Figure 6 is a similar section showing the 001- lapse of the resilient chamber containing the air;

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 5, showing the method of assembly of the pneumatic chamber, the door bottom plates and the metal sections 5 of a metal, articulated door;

Figure 8 is a section taken transversely through a metal section door, showing the relationship between the door guide, the cable and its pulley and take-up mechanism;

Figure 9 is a detail of one corner of the door, showing the manner in which the side edge of the door is concealed between the guide channels;

Figure 10 is a wiring diagram showing the arrangement of the motor controlling pneumatic switch and other mechanism for controlling the starting, stopping and reversing of the door m0- tor.

Referring to the drawings in detail, I indicates the ceiling of a building, of which 2 is the front wall. It is provided with a door opening 3 formed by the vertical panel members 4 and 5, on the inside of which there are mounted the spaced angle irons 6 and 'l to form a guide channel 8. This guide channel may guide the door by guiding the sides of the door and any rollers carried thereby, or it may be used solely for guiding the rollers 9 on the pintles I!) carried in the hinges H which connect the door panels 12 80 and I 3 to one another.

The exact construction of the door and the nature of its guiding is not important. For instance, in Figure '7, the door is made of articulated metal sections l4 and I5 which are clamped 85 between the angular base plates l6 and H which also clamp the vertical portions I8 and 19 of the chamber portion 26 constituting the air chamber 2|.

Likewise, in Figures 5 and 6, it will be seen that the wooden panels l2 are connected to the members l6 and H by the bolts 22.

The angular base plate ll serves as a supporting means for the pneumatic and electrical switch box, generally designated 23. This box is connected by the pipe 24 to the chamber 2| which is formed of a rubber body 20. When this body 20 engages an obstruction 25, it collapses, and the resulting pressure causes the switch to operate as follows.

The pressure in the pipe 27 lifts the ball 28 in the casing 29. This lifts the plug 30 in the guide 3| against the spring 32 which carries the contact 33. The spring is mounted upon the terminal 34 connected to the wire 35. The contact tact 3. on the terminal 81 Thisclosesthecircuit.

passes over a pulley 42 into a winding drum II. The end oi the cable is connected through the cable M to the switch generally designated 45, conduit 48 to the motor 41.

Theexactmeansotraisingandloweringthe door is unimportant. In the typical arrangement shown in Figure 4. the motor 41 drives the chainllonasprocketllwhichthroughashait ll, actuates a sprocket II and a chain 52. The otherendoithischainlliscarrieduponan idler sprocket IS on a bracket 84. The sprocket ll iscarriedonabracketil. Thechainflhas connected to it a link I which is pivoted at 51 to the top panel of the door. This mechanism serves to raise and lower the door.

Referring to Figure 10, power is supplied through a three-phase line L1. Ls, Ls. Power is taken oi! this line, through the wires 58, i9 and III, to contacts 6|, 6! and N. Opposite contacts 64, and it are bridged by the switch blades 61, a and 69. These blades are carried on the rod I0. which has a solenoid core ll within a coil 12. The contacts 04, II and 66 are on the ends of the wires I3, 14 and 15 respectively. These lines are connected by the lines ll, 11 and I! to the motor 41. Acres two of these lines is connected a magnetic brake II for the motor.

The lines 13, I4 and II also terminate in contacts 80, 8| and I! which are bridged by the switch blades 83, 84 and I! to connect the ter minals 86, I! and 08 01' the wires ll, 00 and ll to the lines Li, L: and Ls. These switch blades 88, 84 and 85 are mounted on the rod 92. This 'rod 92 carries a solenoid core 03 within the coil .4. The coils l2 and 04 are connected by the wires 05, it, 01, ll, .0, and ill to one another. The other side of the line, beyond the coil 94, at III, is connected to the line III which returns to coil I of a transformer I, the secondary of which is designated III. This coil III is connected on one side I to the wire a and contact 30. It is adapted to engage the contact 33 which is actuated. as hereinbeiore described, by theairpressureinthepipe 21.

The wire II is connected to the solenoid coil I" which is connected on the other side to the transformer coil I. In this coil I" is a solenoid ill connectedtoarod Ill andcarryingasiop switch ill for opening and breaking the connection between wires II and Ill. Also carried on the rod I" is another switch blade III which causes the motor to reverse and-start to lift the door. Switch blade II I merely controls the stopping oi' the door. The wire illextends over to the line In.

A stop switch which is hand operated is designated Ill and it controls the closing 0! the lines Ill and ill. The line III is connected at H! to aline III which, inturn. is connected to the line illwhoseterminallilisclosedbytheholding switch blade III on the rod .2. Switch blade It. also causes the terminal Iii oi the wire I22 whichisconnectedbythewire llltowires Ill and I02. wire III is also connected to wire I and terminal III which is engaged by the closing switch III which also en ages the terminal I21 oi'the wire I28 andisconnectedbythewire I to terminal Ill.

The wire III is connected to wire I and III and terminates at ill, where it is engaged with the switch blade Ill. Switch blade iii also engages the terminal it! of the wire ill that leads totheterminal luengagedbytheswitchblade I35. This switch blade also engages the terminal I36 oithewire I31 whichisconnected toterminal H6. The wire H8 is connected bythe wire I, to terminal II! which is engaged by the holding switch blade I on the rod II.

The switch blade I engages the terminal Ill of the wire I42. This wire is connected to the junction I, at which are connected the wires I leading to the solenoid coil 12 and the wire I connected to the wire III.

The method of operation is as ioilows. It you want to stop the movement of the door, you move the switch blade I II to open position. I! you wish to manually lower the door, you close the switch blade I26, which results in energizing the solenoid 94, thereby closing the terminals OH; iii-81; and 82-88. This causes the motor 41 to so rotate as to lower the door.

If an obstruction should be encountered, then the contacts 33 and 36 would close, which would energize the solenoid Ill, moving its core I upwardly so that the switch blade Ill would open the motor circuit indirectly and stop the motor as follows: The switch blade Ill opens coil 84 and the circuit associated therewith; this drops the contacts 83, N and 8|, which breaks the motor circuit and stops the motor. In other words, the control circuit is disrupted and then the magnetic switch breaks the motor circuit. It wn"Jd result in the switch Ill bri l l contacts iii and I32. This would result in energizing the solenoid 12, closing the contacts "-44; 62-65; and 6340. This would cause the motor 41 to reverse and to move the door upwardly. The upward movement oi. the door is limited by the limit switch "a, and the lowering of the door is limited by the limit switch "a.

It it is desired to manually start the door upwardly, the switch blade I" is moved to closed position. It it is. desired to move the door downwardly, then the switch blade I! is manually closed. Ii it is desired to stop the door, then the switch blade III is moved to open position.

It will be understood that any detail arrangement oi electrical circuits and switches may be employed, but the one described is the preferred form It consists broadly oi a power line, reversible motor, switches that are solenoid operated for connecting the motor to move in opposite directions and it consists of a pneumatically operated switch mechanism forbreaking the circuit when the door is moving downwardly to stop it and optionally also to connect the motor into reverse position to again raise the door.

Suitable limit switches "a and (la are provided for limiting the normal upward and downward movement of the door. Also the usual switches for stopping the door Ill, opening the door It! and closing the door I" are provided for usual, normal, manual operation.

It will be understood that we desire to comprehend within our invention such modiiicaflons as comewithinthescopeoitheclaimandtheinvention.

Having thus fully described our invention. what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

Incombinatimasiidabiedoonapairoiamle members mounted on and extending along the closing edge of the door, said angle members being mounted with two faces parallel to said door and closely adjacent one another and with their other two faces in line with each other and at right angles to the door and forming a base plate for said door, a collapsible rubber air container extending along the closing edge of the door on the leading side of said angle members and having a normally circular air enclosing portion and a pair of integral ears which are received between said first-named two faces of said angle members, means for holding said angle members together for thereby clamping said ears together, said second-named two faces of said angle members forming a portion wider than said rubber air container when collapsed, means closing the ends of said air container, and means on said door actuated by collapse of said air container upon encountering an obstruction for stopping the closing of the door, said air container being collapsed between the obstruction and the base plate formed by said angle members.

RALPH H. GREEGOR. WILLIAM K. PAGE. 

